Izakaya Danji Honolulu

Izakaya Danji is a tiny dinner spot located on S. Beretania Street between Auntie Pasto's and the Goodwill Store. The food taste good and the prices are reasonable but the portions are small. Most of the appetizers are meant for 1 person so you may want to double up on some items. I recommend having dinner here before going to an event at the Blaisdell Center. It's a short walk and if you come right when they open, you can get seated quickly. For parking, there are a few spaces in front of the restaurant or there is metered street parking.

1095 S Beretania St
Honolulu, HI 96814
(808) 888-8777

Goma Hamachi

Fried Fishcake w/ Shoyu & Butter

Chicken Nanban

Gyoza

Fried Rice w/ Spicy Pickled Mustard Leaf

Rigo

Rigo offers the flavors of Spain and Italy in one place. They renovated the former Genki Sushi and turned it into a beautiful open concept restaurant with a huge wine display case. From the dining room, you can look into the kitchen and watch the chefs prepare your pasta dishes. My favorites were the ajillo, crostini, and cacio e pepe.

The prices are a bit high and the portions are small but the service and taste of the food was good. They can accommodate big groups but reservations are recommended. They have a small parking lot on the side of the restaurant but if that fills up, there is metered street parking on Kapahulu Ave.

For more information about Rigo, visit www.rigohawaii.com.

885 Kapahulu Ave
Honolulu, HI 96816
(808) 735-9760

Garlic Parmesan Bread, Ajillo

Crostini

Cacio E Pepe

Funghi Pizza

Basque Cheesecake

MW - Restaurant Week 2019

MW Restaurant is offering a 3-course dinner menu at $55; they also have a lunch menu priced at $25. They put out a good menu every year and sometimes, they'll even have new items on it. This is one of the few restaurants that let's you choose your starter, entree, and dessert. This one is worth checking out.

For more information, visit www.restaurantweekhawaii.com/restaurant/mw-restaurant.

Roasted Vegetable Salad

Hokkaido Scallop

Hawaiian Crown "Banana Cream Pie"

Tbd Hawaii - Restaurant Week 2019

Tbd... is offering a 4-course dinner priced at $65. You have 3 entrees to choose from but I recommend the prime ribeye which is a 6 oz cut. The portions may look small but the whole meal was filling. If you go for an early dinner, ask for a table by the window, the view of Kapiolani Park is nice.

For more information, visit www.restaurantweekhawaii.com/restaurant/tbdhawaii.

Ahi Tartare

Kabocha Veloute

Prime Ribeye Fillet

Bay Leaf Ice Cream

Eating House 1849 - Restaurant Week 2019

Eating House 1849 at International Marketplace is offering a lunch and dinner menu. The lunch menu consists of 2-courses and is priced at $29 which is reasonable. For lunch, you have the option of choosing 1 of 3 entrees to go with the appetizer; smoked ahi dip.

For more information, visit www.restaurantweekhawaii.com/restaurant/eatinghouse-imp.

Smoked Ahi Dip Crostini

Crab Cake Salad

Minori Craft Japanese Tavern - CLOSED

Minori Craft Japanese Tavern was formerly Tsukada Nojo. They went through some renovations, updated their menu and included an all you can eat salad bar. You can still get some of the previous items like hot pot and the polar bear shave ice. The updated interiors are spacious and brightly lit. I recommend doing family style because the portions are small but it's the best way to try more items on the menu. My favorites were the seared tataki prime beef, minori chicken nanban, and stone pot beef pepper rice. Their prices are reasonable but they also have happy hour from 5pm-6pm and 9pm-11pm if you are on a budget.

They open for lunch and dinner. There is parking in front of the restaurant but if the spaces fill up, you can park across the street at Century Center. The restaurant will provide validation. If you plan to come with more than 4 people for dinner, reservations are recommended because they get busy.

For more information about Minori Craft Japanese Tavern, visit minorihawaii.com.

1731 Kalakaua Ave
Honolulu, HI 96826
(808) 951-4444

Seared Tataki Prime Beef

Homemade Bacon Potato Salad topped w/ Smoked Egg

MINORI Chicken Nanban

Kona Kanpachi Poke

Grilled Squid

Stone Pot Beef Pepper Rice

Matcha Flan

NIO Snow Ice & Tea

NIO Snow Ice & Tea is a tiny shop near Restaurant Row that offers Taiwanese snow ice, milk teas, and fruit teas with boba. The snow ice is priced between $6-$7 and the drinks are between $5-$6. All the drinks are one size; large. Their boba are softer and chewier compared to the other shops in town. I noticed their drinks are more on the sweet size so it might be best to ask for less sugar and add more as needed. There is a self-serve syrup dispenser on the side of the counter. I recommend the tiger latte boba and matcha lovers. The tiger latte boba has no caffeine and is made with milk and caramel. The matcha lovers tasted like a Japanese dessert. It's a green tea latte with sweeten azuki beans and condensed milk walls.

The seating is limited; there are 6 bar stools. The parking is also tough. If you drive into the alley most of the spaces are reserved or coned off for the other businesses. It is best to find street parking or have someone else get the drinks while you wait in the car in front of the shop.

550 Halekauwila St., Ste 101
Honolulu, HI 96813
(808) 548-2431

Tiger Latte Boba, Matcha Lovers, Tiger Amber Boba

Thai Buddhist Temple of Hawaii

They are open on Sundays from 10am-2pm until October. You will find a variety of authentic Thai food. The ladies cooking and serving the food give generous portions and everything is priced between $5-$10. Only cash is accepted. Most of the signage has English so you know what the dishes are but if you ask, they will tell you what it is and how it should be eaten. It's best to go with a small group of people so you can try more dishes. There is seating under the tents to enjoy your food but it can get really hot so bring water to stay hydrated. I only saw Thai ice tea, Thai ice coffee, and longan tea being sold. Parking is available along the side of fence on Farrington Highway or you can go inside and park in the marked stalls.

Since this is a temple and there is Sunday service happening, you'll hear the monks chanting and walking around to bless everyone. To be respectful, there is a required dress code. It is recommended that you wear a shirt and long pants/jeans; no tank tops or shorts.


Thai Buddhist Temple of Hawaii
96-130 Farrington Hwy
Pearl City, HI 96782

Thai Crispy Fried Chicken ($6)

Coconut Pancakes ($10)

Pork Skewers ($5) & Sticky Rice ($2)

Fried Apple Banana, Fried Breadfruit, Fried Sweet Potato ($5)

Golden Egg Yolk dessert ($5)

Akasaka

Akasaka is a hole in the wall sushi bar near the Hawaii Convention Center. The exterior of the building looks traditional Japanese with the wood and rice paper decor. The inside of the restaurant has a sushi counter and a few tables; the space is little tight. I recommend ordering sushi and sashimi because their fish are fresh. The food prices are also reasonable.

They are located between Kapiolani Blvd and Kona Street. If you're coming from Kapiolani Blvd, their building is hidden behind another and you'll need to go down a driveway. If you come from Kona Street you'll see their entrance and the parking spaces in front. This place is not good for big groups. If you plan to come with more than 2 people, reservations are highly recommended. 

1646 Kona St
Ste B
Honolulu, HI 96814
(808) 942-4466

Tokujo Sushi Combination

Vegetable Tempura

Chicken Karaage

Salmon w/ Avocado Roll

Salmon Skin Roll

Seoul Tofu House

Seoul Tofu House is located on the ground level of The Laylow in Waikiki. Their specialty is soondubu and they have about 10 different varieties of it. What's great about this place is that your food is served as a set so everyone gets their own side dishes, bowl of rice, and packet of seaweed. Beside soondubu, they also have items like kalbi, spicy chicken, cold noodles, Korean pancakes, and meat jeon. I enjoyed the seafood soondubu and beef jeon. The soondubu broth had lots of flavor and it was addicting. My mouth was burning from the regular spice level but it was good. The beef jeon tasted sweet but the meat was tender and each piece is dipped in egg before pan frying. The soondubu sets are $13.99 but if you're kamaaina, show your ID and get a discount.

You don't need a reservation; walk in is okay because they have a lot of seating. There is interior and exterior seating but exterior can be loud because of all noise coming from the street. The entrance is on Kuhio Ave. after The Laylow's escalators if you're coming from International Marketplace. I don't think the restaurant offers parking so park at International Marketplace or Hyatt Centric and go shopping after to get your validation.

2299 Kuhio Ave
Honolulu, HI 96815
(808) 376-0018

Beef Jeon

Plain Soondubu

Seafood Soondubu

Asato Family Shop

Asato Family Shop is best known for their sherbet. They are only open on Wednesdays and Sundays for a few hours. If you walk are drive by in the morning, you will always see a line in front of the shop. The pints are $6.99 each and there is no limit on the 3 classic and 3 specialty flavors. Sometimes they will have a 7th flavor and for that, you are only allowed to buy 1 pint. So far, my favorite is the pickled mango juice sherbet. If you grew up drinking green river, that flavor of sherbet taste really good too. I'm hoping to see pickled mango juice back on the menu soon especially because July is mango month. I recommend following them on instagram, @asatofamily, for the latest updates on flavors, inventory, and the line.

If you want to skip the line, you can purchase a subscription from their website. The subscription will get you 3 pints of the classic flavors and 3 pints of the special flavors. On your day of pick up, you can walk to the front of the line and pick up your 6 pints. If you want to buy more pints, you will have to stand in the long line.

For more information about Asato Family Shop, visit asatofamilyshop.com.

1306 Pali Hwy
Honolulu, HI 96813

Li Hing Calamansi, Strawberry

Pickled Mango Juice

Asato Bar w/ Strawberry Jam, Lychee Rose

Waioli Grill & Cafe - CLOSED

Waioli Grill & Cafe is a Japanese izakaya. This place is great for groups because it's spacious and table set up is for 4 or more. The interior is still the same as the restaurant that was previously here. I recommend getting the beef katsu, chicken namban and grilled moi. Their food taste good and the prices are reasonable.

They only open for dinner and they're closed on Mondays. You can find them in the Kapahulu area in the same complex as Papa John's and next to the laundromat. There is a private parking lot for the complex that you can park in. I went on a weeknight and for small groups, walk ins are okay. If you have 4 or more people, making a reservation in advance is better.

For more information about Waioli Grill & Cafe, visit waioligrillandcafe.com.

611 Kapahulu Ave
Ste 102
Honolulu, HI 96815
(808) 762-1916

Beef Katsu

Pork Kakuni

Chicken Namban

Grilled Moi

TBD Hawaii - CLOSED

TBD Hawaii is a pop-up restaurant located inside the Lotus Honolulu on the 2nd floor. They offer an interesting mix of flavors on their menu which makes them unique. It's best to come with a group of people so you can do family style dining and try multiple dishes. The portions are small and it's on the pricey side. My favorites were the falafel (part of the tbd bento) ribeye, tandoori fried chicken, croque en bouche, and mango kulfi.

The service is excellent and the staff are friendly. The GM and sommelier both came over to the table for an intro before we started our dinner. The interior of the restaurant is modern and spacious. They have a lounge area by the entrance if you just want drinks and small bites. The tables against the wall have comfy couches but if you have a table in the middle of the dining room, you'll get a view of Kapiolani Park. They have complimentary valet parking with validation. I recommend making reservations because they are busy. Their closing date is June 2021.

For more information about Tbd, visit tbdhawaii.com.

2885 Kalakaua Ave
Honolulu, HI 96815
(808) 791-5164

TBD...Bento

Jamon Iberico

Kafta "Meat Balls"

Roasted Cauliflower

Prime Ribeye

"TFC" Tandoori Fried Chicken

Croque-en-bouche

Mango Kulfi